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Texas High School Football exhibit

Sunday, July 31, 2011

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This was safety: Among the oldest artifacts in the exhibit is this leather helmet, circa 1920, from El Paso High School.

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(Rebecca Kinnison)

This was safety: Among the oldest artifacts in the exhibit is this leather helmet, circa 1920, from El Paso High School.

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(Rebecca Kinnison)

Go, Team, Go: Guest curator Joe Nick Patoski feels a kinship with cheerleaders, having served in that capacity at Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth. Cheerleading equipment at the exhibit includes megaphones provided by Abilene High School and Philips High School.
Rebecca Kinnison

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(Rebecca Kinnison)

Team pride on display: The Pre-Game Ritual station in the exhibit features mascot costumes from around the state, including Austin High School's 2010 'Mr. Maroo.' The area also pays tribute to the mum, an exceedingly Texas tradition. 'No one does mums like we do,' Patoski said. 'And in certain communities, it's a cottage industry.'

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(2007 Scott Yarberry)

Trumpets blaring: Probably not surprisingly, Texas boasts the largest high school marching band in the country. The Allen High School Marching Band (the Escadrille) has 600 students.
'We just do football better in every element. We like superlatives. Texans embrace superlatives,' said curator Joe Nick Patoski.

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(Laura Skelding AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Do you know football? The multimedia exhibit --features an interactive game that offers visitors ---a chance to test their ---football IQ.

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(Laura Skelding AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

They really wore this: Among the player memorabilia in the AstroTurf-laden Taking the Field section, below, is this winter jacket from the Brownwood Lions, circa 1940, taken from the Gordon Wood Museum. Featured in the same case is Drew Brees' Westlake High School jersey from the team's undefeated 1996 state championship season. The quarterback would go on to be a standout at Purdue University then with the New Orleans Saints.

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(Laura Skelding AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Getting their kicks on the field: Texas is home to more than half the dance/drill teams in the United States, according to Patoski. Among the most innovative was San Antonio's Thomas Jefferson High School Lassos. The dance/drill team is responsible for inspiring the Western dress worn by many today and is the only one that incorporates rope-twirling as part of its dance performance. The uniform seen here dates back to the 1940s.

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(Laura Skelding AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Threads of history: The Hall of History section is lined with replica lockers that feature artifacts such as Robert Strait's windbreaker from Cuero High School and Willie Mack Garza's Refugio High jersey from 1985. Garza rushed for an eye-popping 57 touchdowns.

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(Laura Skelding AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Souvenir program from the 1962 Texas All-Star Football Game in Lubbock.